Photo: Google (Nexus)

How about this for some continuity – when Google unveiled the Samsung-developed Nexus S, everyone called it a tweak of the Galaxy S. Now a rumour coming out of a Korean newspaper suggests that we will see the Samsung Galaxy S2 launched at the Mobile World Congress in February, with it being a tweak of the Google Nexus S. Confused much? Yep, that’s it.

Dual-core

Korean newspaper Chosunilbo (sub required) reported the news, saying that the tech will be an almost exact replica of the current Google Nexus S. That means a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, Android 2.3, gyorscope, NFC technology, dual video cameras, and 16GB of internal memory. Where it will differ, apparently, is in having a dual-core processor, as the defining characteristic of the handset.

This could make the Samsung Galaxy S2 one of the most powerful handsets in the world, considering its predecessor is already up there with the rest of them in terms of raw speed and power.

Umm, well Nexus One became the Desire

This transition from a Google-branded phone to a Samsung-branded phone is similar to the transition HTC went through when they launched the HTC Desire, since the Desire was a tweak of the Nexus One. This is a positive omen, since the HTC Desire is still considered by many – these parts included – to be one of the best smartphones on the market. Period. Given that the original Galaxy S is categorized in the same league, one can only imagine how good the S2 turns out.

Smartphone overload

Unless you write about technology, it’s becoming extremely difficult to keep up with the many smartphones released these days. The Google Nexus S, for example, was launched literally the other day in the UK.

Photo: Google

Following the admitted mistake Google made in their release of their flagship smartphone, the Nexus One, it comes as a surprise that the firm would be having another shot at the mobile phone market. They have now announced the release of the Samsung-made Nexus S, along with the latest version of their mobile OS called Gingerbread. Unlike their failed attempt at selling their smartphone exclusively via the web, Google aim to sell the Nexus S at Carphone Warehouse.

Quickly overtaken

The specs for the Nexus S smartphone aren’t too impressive. Most manufacturers are aiming at producing Android devices with dual-core processors for release in 2011. Dual-core processors will be an important feature for mobile phones in the upcoming year, which will offer greater speed, performance and the possibility of high definition video recording, so the Nexus S will fall behind.

No extra memory

The Nexus S, which has on-board memory storage of 16GB, doesn’t have a MicroSD card slot. The option of expendable memory has become a regular feature with all previously launched Android phones and the lack of this option could work against them.

The NFC feature

An interesting piece of technology called Near Field Communication is included in the Nexus S smartphone. This technology uses a chip that communicates with other chips stored on movie posters or other advertisements, which could be scanned to forward the user to a link on their mobile web browser. The NFC feature could also be used to pay for small transactions, like groceries or transport, but it may be a bit premature as the technology is still in its testing phase.

Similar appearance

Google’s Nexus S looks quite similar to the Samsung Galaxy S phone, which is one of the more popular Android handsets of 2010. This similarity could see consumers choose the cheaper and older Samsung model.

Worth the price tag?

There are plenty of other smartphones with more appealing specs than the Nexus S, so it’s not likely that the majority of consumers will fork out extra for Google’s latest offering. Also, giving Carphone Warehouse exclusivity on the phone could do its sales figures more harm than good.

Photo: HTC

We know that a Google Chrome tablet is incoming. Google has been fairly open about it. But what was not known until now, that is, is that Google would commission its own tablet and have their trusty partners at HTC build in, if a recent report is to be believed.

November release date?

The Download Squad, citing a source, says the Chrome Pad would drop 26 November in the US – which is incidentally Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year in the US. Hmm. US carrier Verizon will supposedly be offering the tablet on a two year data contract, which means the tablet may be free under contract. Double hmm!

If our hopes pan out, then the Google Chrome tablet may be released worldwide – read: key markets around the globe – on the same day so as to give Google’s new operating system the international catwalk treatment. The UK usually falls under the ‘key markets’ heading, so we’re hoping a carrier like Vodafone could offer a similar deal here.

Disruptive purchasing model

If this pricing model proves true, it would make for a compelling reason for fence sitters to take the plunge. Unlike the iPad where you buy the device and the requisite data bundle separate of each other, here you can spread the cost of the device over the life of your contract, making it much easier for this to become an impulse purchase. It’s a clever model to overcome iPad-inflicted trepidation, especially if the economics play out for all concerned – Google, HTC and the carriers.

BFFs

Photo: HTC

HTC’s involvement in building the Chrome Pad is little surprise either, since they and Google have become BFFs as a result of the mutual success they’ve had with the Google Android platform. HTC built the Google Nexus One, too, so the two companies have experience working on a device together. What is notable, though, is that Google clearly learnt from its botched ‘we’ll sell our hardware ourselves’ experiment that saw the Nexus One returning disappointing sales figures. Leave it to those who know what they’re doing, huh?

‘C’mon Chrome Pad! Bring it!’ – iPad

What’s particularly interesting about this Google Chrome tablet rumour if true is that it puts itself right in the way of the freight train that is the iPad. And, if the respective successes of Google Android and the iPhone are any indication, it could be a case of an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.
And watching Google and Apple slug it out like this makes for riveting stuff. The two companies have the brightest engineering minds on the planet coupled with an uncanny ability to inspire mass adoption that makes watching their growing conflict so much fun.

I’ll go out on a limb and say never in the history of technology have we had two such colossal, brilliant organisations going at each other full-bloodedly in a war that could swing either way. Perhaps the technology historians among you can school me a bit.

What are your thoughts on the Chrome Pad and does it stand a chance against the iPad sales freight train?

Photo: HTC

Pretty much everybody gets great tech long after the US does. Look what happened with the iPad and most every major smartphone in the world. So on the rare occasions we ‘international users’ (they even clump us under one title) get something remarkable before the US does, allow us a second to feel better about ourselves. This is the case, with the HTC Desire finally getting released in the US in August, with a catch.

Regional Carriers

The catch is the Google Android powered HTC Desire will not be released on major carriers nationwide, with HTC opting to give the phone to ‘select regional operators’ to carry. That means no AT&T, no Sprint and no T-Mobile, either. A veritable easter egg hunt may need to ensue if US-based customers want the HTC Desire so as to find out what we keep cooing about.

You’ll love it, promise

We’ve had the HTC Desire for some time already and, in case it wasn’t clear when we wrote our review, we loved it. We still do, in fact. This Google Android powered phone is easily one of HTC’s best devices and is still on the shortlist for handset of the year, even with the hugely impressive iPhone 4 and HTC’s very own powerful (but disappointing) HTC EVO 4G due to both be on market soon.

Oh, wait, fancy footwork

Photo: HTC

Our fellow tech lovers who stay in the US do have the escape route of saying the HTC Desire is merely a tweaked Google Nexus One, which the US got a long while before the rest of the world did. Though this debate is old, it’s hardly true with the phones different enough that we at least consider them two completely separate devices. Glass half empty or half full, right? And even then, can us ‘international’ users get a moment in the sun? Just a brief one.

So, US readers, does the news of one of the standout Google Android handsets excite you or not? And to those of us who are ‘international’ users, how has your experience with this HTC handset been so far?

Photo: Android

With the Google I/O event being the most eventful in the company’s history, it’s become somewhat of a nosebleed to sift through all that data. Google TV clearly stole the show, but the search giant had some very interesting Google Android announcements to make, too.

Android 2.2 is live

Froyo, the project name for Android 2.2 is live and has, surprisingly, begun rolling out to Google Nexus One devices already. It’s surprising because Google had said it would be available in the coming weeks, effectively over-delivering on an under-promise, which is as nice as it is rare. The rollout will be staggered, however, as is customary with Google Android updates, with the Google Nexus One getting it first, and other Android devices getting it later.

The mobile OS update brings with it a 2x to 5x speed boost, which is by far the biggest deal.

Who else will get it?

Photo: HTC

With certain versions of Android being unable to work on some phones, it is as yet unclear just which handsets will receive the update and which will be left in the cold. The HTC Desire, as well as HTC’s other 2010 phones, will almost certainly get the Froyo, Android 2.2, update some time in 2010, the Taiwanese company said in a statement.

Over 100,000 phones daily

Additionally, at the Google I/O event, the company announced they were activating north of 100,000 Android phones daily! Back of the napkin maths puts that at over 36,4 million Android phones annually, at this trajectory, which is simply amazing, and a very good explanation as to why Android is experiencing such rapid growth in smartphone market share.

If it wasn’t already apparent, it is now: Google Android is central to the search giant’s business objectives, and Froyo, Android 2.2, is only evidence that the company is getting better and better at building its mobile OS.

Photo: HTC

Google has announced that it will no longer sell Nexus Ones from its online store, yet will continue making the phone available to retail partners and carriers.

The misstep

A lot was made of Google deciding to sell Google Nexus one unlocked. The support for the move came as a result of users being able to use their phone on any network of their choosing, a trend negated by many of the big smartphone manufacturers but wanted by many users. However, the immediate question most asked was why Google was getting into the hardware sales business and how Google would fair.

The prediction was the move was both against Google’s strength and it would be a comparative failure. Both these predictions were true, and Google is abandoning its direct Nexus One Sales.

Stick to your job

Photo: Stock.Xchng

Google is, ultimately, a software company. And this is reflected well in the Google Nexus One’s life cycle. Google Android, the mobile OS that powers the Nexus one, has done gangbuster numbers, with a recent report indicating that for the first time in its history, partner phones powered by the mobile OS have outsold the iPhone in North America. On the hardware side, however, the Google Nexus One is widely considered a failure.

Google itself has said this, with Andy Rubin, the head of mobile, saying ‘the global adoption of the Android platform has exceeded our expectations, the web store has not’ in a blog post.

Now what?

With defeat admitted, Google has indicated it plans to push heavily into retail stores and to partner more aggressively with carriers. This strategy will let the software giant focus on its Google Android business, while those who know how to move consumer goods are allowed to move consumer goods. The Google Nexus One was a misstep, and all know this. At least something is being done to rectify this in future.

Photo: Google

It seems Google and the Chinese government have been leaking information that the fracture between the company and the state has come to an impasse that will result in Google China pulling out altogether.

How we got here

Google first threatened to pull the plug on Google China after a string of web attacks originating from China hit their service. The attacks were focused on Gmail, where hackers were trying to get sensitive information on people –advocates for democracy and the like – they considered dangerous to the Chinese government.

Google used these attacks as a basis to push back against the government in a stand against Internet censorship, a move that was greeted with cheers and jeers considering Google themselves had long ceded to China’s Internet censorship demands in the past.

Where we are now

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Now, the freeze over on the relationship seems permanent, with the Chinese government telling major Chinese websites that Google may leave the country. Analysts are split on whether the likely departure of Google would bode well or not for Microsoft’s Bing, who are set to stay in China. In terms of search share, Microsoft ‘s Bing will immediately be buoyed, but criticism about Bing’s stance with regards to Internet censorship will be lodged with that company staying in China.

Other affected business units

Following this advance, the reverberations of Google’s decision to put their relationship with China on ice, Motorola announced it would stop supporting Google search and maps on its Android device in favour of Microsoft’s Bing search and Bing maps.

Google, and its partners, have indicated they want Android to become the dominant mobile phone platform in China’s burgeoning mobile devices industry. The freezing of Google China – which would impact not only the business’ search, but also dependent services like Gmail and maps in the country – would impact Android severely, even if Eric Schmidt, Google CEO, is earnest in saying they have no plans of pulling out of the mobile devices market.

Photo: HTC

This development comeson the heels of some of Android’s best devices being introduced to the world, spearheaded by the HTC Legend, HTC Desire and the Google Nexus One.

Clash of the Titans

Whatever Google ends up doing, this may be the largest development in state-corporation relations of all time. Google is easily one of the most powerful companies on the planet, and China’s economic growth seems to know no end, making this a real clash of the Titans analysts in tech and politics are likely to mull over for some time.

Photo: HTC

Vodafone looks set to start carrying the Google Nexus One this April. The HTC-manufactured Google-branded Android phone that has been available exclusively on Google’s online portal in the US will finally be available outside of that country.

Topsy-turvy releases

In a move that’s both bizarre and humorous at the same time, the HTC Desire, which is essentially the Nexus One’s successor, has beaten the Google-branded phone to market. The phones are pretty much the same thing, with the difference being the Desire is HTC-branded and has its own Android OS interface overlay, while the Nexus One is Google’s phone.

Sales failure

Photo: Apple

Initial sales of the Google Nexus One in the US were widely considered a failure, with the mobile handset moving only 20, 000 units in week one. This is a far cry from the Motorola Droid’s 250,000 week-one sales and the iPhone 3GS’s astronomical 1.6 million units. The reason sales were this low was mostly attributed to Google’s decision to sell the hardware themselves through their own portal and not through carriers. Not only was the move unusual in terms of reach, it was unusual in terms of Google’s lack of retail experience, especially with such a specialised device in a particularly competitive marketplace.

It seems Google aims to improve sales by selling the device themselves in the UK and marketing it, too. Vodafone, it appears, will provide no marketing muscle whatsoever, so it stands to reason that Google UK might have a better sales and marketing strategy than Google HQ did, or that Google has not learnt from its previous missteps.

Decent phone

Generally, the HTC-developed Google Nexus One was well received, with critics praising the fantastic integration with Google apps, and fantastic design finish. However, for an Android device in a post-iPhone world, very good no longer seems good enough to take the lead, nor does cutting out carriers of Vodafone’s muscle altogether wise.